


Gift Exchange Blues

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Christmas Party, Gen, Language, secret santa 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5544680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair gets someone’s name in the gift exchange that he’d rather die than have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gift Exchange Hell

**Title** : Gift Exchange Hell  
 **Type** : Gen  
 **Rating** : Gen  
 **Word Count** : 462  
 **Summary** : Blair gets someone’s name in the gift exchange that he’d rather die than have.   
**Warnings** : Angst for shopping hell  
 **A/N** : This is going to be a two part story. This is part one. 

Gift Exchange Hell

Blair was the last one to pick from the gift exchange hat and he was the unhappiest. Of all the people in Major Crimes, he got Rafe to buy for. First of all the gift limit was only $25.00 and what in the world could you buy for a snob like Rafe? _You could look at some really nice ties, Sandburg. Stop feeling sorry for yourself._

Blair wished he could talk to Jim about it, but that was one of the rules, you couldn’t discuss it with anyone else. Rules were rules. Blair knew he was going to have to watch Rafe and take notice of something he liked or did. _I could always get him a gift card to the best place in town for men’s clothing. But that’s boring._

Blair knew he was going to have to wing it. Rafe walked up to Blair and asked, “Would you like to go to the pub with us tonight? Jim said he might go if you go.”

“Sure, I’ll go. Where is Jim, anyhow?” 

Rafe smiled. “He’s going to meet us at the pub, because he’s meeting with a POI right now. He said he’d see us there.”

“I thought you said, he would go if I went,” Blair stated. 

“I lied. Say you’ll go. It’ll be fun for everyone.”

“Sure, I’ll go, but could I ride with you. My car broke down.”

“Yes, we’re leaving in ten minutes.” Rafe walked away and smiled. 

_I can watch him and see what I’m going to do for him._

* * *

At the pub, Blair was watching Rafe closely. He noticed that Rafe always ordered a drink with Bailey’s Irish Cream. This gave Blair, hope.

The evening went well and Blair figured he had an idea at least. Blair mentioned that he liked Rafe’s tie and Brown had told him that Rafe paid $50.00 for it. Okay, the Bailey’s was looking better and better. 

Jim asked, “You going to leave with me or stay here all night?”

Blair laughed and said goodbye to everyone and walked to the truck. 

“That’s a good idea about the Bailey’s, Chief.”

“How did you know that?”

“I saw you watching him all night long and figured you got his name. I won’t tell.”

“Thanks, Jim. For the ride and for the advice on the gift.”

“No problem. You could always get him a funny shot glass to go along with it,” Jim suggested. 

“Oh man, you have helped me so much. Thank you. All I have to do now is buy it, wrap it and take it to the party in two days.”

“Good luck, Chief.”

“Thanks, man.”

Blair was happier in the knowledge that he was done deciding on a gift for Rafe. Thank God for that.


	2. I Can't Catch a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blair has to figure out how to wrap his gift for Rafe without Rafe knowing what it is. This might be hard.

**Title** : I Can’t Catch a Break  
 **Type** : Gen  
 **Rating** : Gen  
 **Word Count** : 495  
 **Summary** : Blair has to figure out how to wrap his gift for Rafe without Rafe knowing what it is. This might be hard.   
**Warnings** : Sappy, is that a warning? And two f words.   
**A/N** : This is the second part of Gift Exchange Hell. 

I Can’t Catch a Break

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/cantcatchabreak_zps5ueuec9l.jpg.html)

Blair looked down at the box of liquor and knew he couldn’t just wrap that because Rafe would know immediately what he was getting. No, Blair was going to have to come up with a brainstorm idea. Then Blair also had to take into account the fact that he was wrapping with a cotton fabric gift bag, not wrapping paper. He was also using fabric ties and bows. It was going to look funny, but everyone would know that someone cared enough about the environment to wrap wisely. Blair already knew that no one else would do this.

The cotton fabric that Blair chose was a really pretty Christmas green, with red silk ties and bows. It was going to look fantastic when he was done. Blair was impressed with what he was doing because he knew everyone would laugh. But Blair didn’t care about that. 

He wrapped each of the shot glasses in cotton fabric and set them softly into the cotton gift bag. Then he wrapped the bottle of booze so that it wouldn’t break. He had taken it out of the box and it now was sitting side by side with the shot glasses. Blair had a feeling that Rafe would like his gift, but he didn’t want to get too excited just yet.

As Blair was tying the tie at the top of the bag, it slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. Blair knew immediately that his liquor bottle had smashed and bit the dust. All Blair could smell was Baileys Irish Cream. He opened the bag and checked the shot glasses and found them to be fine. He now had to shop for another bag and cotton gift wrapping for the items inside the bag. Sighing, he cleaned up the mess and went shopping once again. 

Jim got home with his presents to wrap and smelled the Baileys in the loft. He tried not to smile. He really did, but it was useless. Only Blair would break the gift it took him such time and effort to figure out. Jim wrapped his presents while he waited for Blair. 

Blair walked in an hour later and said, “I suppose your nose told you already what happened.”

“Yup, but it’s okay, Blair.”

Blair began wrapping everything once again and got it all done and this time was more careful holding it while he pulled the top shut. 

“What do you think, Jim?” Blair held up the gift bag and smiled. 

Jim didn’t have the heart to tell him that everyone would laugh. “It looks great, Chief.”

“Everyone’s going to laugh, aren’t they?”

“Probably so.”

“I can’t catch a break. Unless you count the present I broke and had to replace.”

Jim laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Blair.”

“Fuck them, if they can’t see the problem with using paper wrapping.”

“That’s the way to look at it,” Jim agreed. 

Blair knew they were going to laugh, but he didn’t care. Merry Fucking Christmas!


End file.
